Tansi! Greetings! My name is Dr. Gladys Rowe. I am Muskego Inninew (Swampy Cree) from Fox Lake Cree Nation in Northern Manitoba. I also hold relations with ancestors from England, Ireland, Norway, and Ukraine. I am currently a guest on the lands of the Suquamish and Duwamish Nations in Washington. I have been working in decolonial, Indigenist research, evaluation, and Indigenous innovation for over 15 years.

Indigenous evaluation practitioners, organizations, and communities are pushing back and holding space. Like the push back and resistance to research done upon and extracted from Indigenous peoples, we are beyond evaluation that is done upon Indigenous peoples, programs, and organizations. How are we doing this work of learning differently. We begin with Indigenous worldviews, understanding the connections between Indigenous evaluation and Indigenous sovereignty.

This post will share four key areas of design for Indigenous learning (evaluating), understanding that the how is often more critical than the what. As noted in the Na-gah mo Waasbishkizi Ojijaak Bimise Keetwaatino: Singing White Crane Flying North Gathering a Bundle for Indigenous Evaluation, the term evaluation connotes a judgment or value being placed on a person, program, or organization. Learning grounded in Indigenous worldviews reflects a reciprocal journey to understand the processes, resources, and structures that support all levels of transformation. Learning differently means that Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing to take the lead.